A Review on Biscuit, a Largest Consumed Processed Product in India, Its Fortification and Nutritional Improvement

Biscuit is India’s largest industry amongst food industries, with an estimated production of 70, 000 tonnes and cost of three thousand billions US Dollar. Biscuit along with bread forms major baked food accounting to over 30% and 50% respectively of total bakery products produced in the country. The industries have been established in organized and unorganized sectors contributing equal share. The bakery products produced in organized sector are well recognized as compared to organized sector products which are packed in sophisticated packaging. Biscuit is a diverse group bakery product ranging from varieties high and low in fat, high and low in sugar in more or less combination. Biscuits are available in wide varieties of shape, size, taste and texture. These varieties are coming from both organized and unorganized sector. However organized sector has very large capacity plants and their total number is few thousand. The number of units in unorganized sector is of order 80,000. Biscuits are fortified with wide variety of cereal like finger millet, gram flour, soy flour etc. Biscuit becomes an important source of high molecular carbohydrates, vegetable proteins and some vitamins and minerals. But it is important to know that, as compared to refined wheat flour which is deficient in certain essential amino acids thus requires a balanced nutritional value. The nutritional value of biscuit can be enhanced by fortification and supplementation with a wide variety of protein rich cereal and pulses. Some of the cereals are rich in dietary fibre and hence they can increase the nutritional value of the biscuit. Gram flour, Soya flour, Ragi flour and pearl millet flour the most efficient protein source of vegetable origin containing good quantity protein and dietary fibre, besides other nutrients like carbohydrate and reasonable quantity of minerals and vitamins.